[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 64 (Friday, April 3, 1998)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 16667-16668]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-9035]



[[Page 16665]]

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Part IV





The President





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Proclamation 7076--National Child Abuse Prevention Month, 1998
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  Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 64 / Friday, April 3, 1998 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 16667]]

                Proclamation 7076 of April 1, 1998

                
National Child Abuse Prevention Month, 1998

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                All of us at one time or another have been shocked by 
                news reports about a child who has been abused, 
                neglected, or abandoned. Unable to comprehend such a 
                betrayal of trust, we find ourselves hoping that these 
                incidents are isolated and rare. The most recent 
                reports from State child welfare agencies, however, 
                confirm that one million cases of substantiated child 
                abuse or neglect occur in our Nation every year. Of 
                these cases, more than a thousand children--many under 
                the age of four--do not survive; and most die at the 
                hands of a parent or other family member. As a caring 
                society that cherishes our children, we must work 
                together to protect these little ones who cannot 
                protect themselves.

                Two of our greatest resources in the crusade against 
                child abuse and neglect are knowledge and compassion. 
                We must raise public awareness that these cases, while 
                often hidden, can occur in any family and community in 
                America. As responsible adults, we must learn more 
                about the signs of child abuse so that we may report 
                suspected incidents as soon as possible. We must 
                support community programs that help to identify 
                families at risk and intervene before abuse becomes 
                deadly. As individuals and as members of our 
                communities, we need to support services, programs, and 
                legislation that will help to relieve the stresses on 
                families that can sometimes lead to violence. We must 
                strengthen the partnerships among schools, social 
                service agencies, religious organizations, law 
                enforcement, and the business community so that child 
                abuse prevention efforts will be comprehensive, swift, 
                and effective.

                Backing up such efforts at the State and local level, 
                my Administration is focusing Federal attention and 
                resources on combating child abuse and neglect. We are 
                supporting family-based prevention services that help 
                at-risk families reduce violence in the home. We also 
                are continuing to give the States resources to build 
                and maintain strong protection systems for children in 
                danger. And for those children who cannot remain safely 
                at home, we worked with the Congress to enact the 
                Adoption and Safe Families Act, which makes it easier 
                to place at-risk children more quickly into a permanent 
                and secure environment.

                This month, as Americans celebrate spring and its 
                promise of new life, let us reaffirm our commitment to 
                the lives of our Nation's children. I encourage 
                communities across the country to join together to 
                raise awareness of the tragedy of child abuse, to learn 
                more about what we can do to help end such abuse, and 
                to strengthen efforts to support children and their 
                families before the cycle of abuse can begin.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim April 1998 as National Child 
                Abuse Prevention Month. I call upon all Americans to 
                observe this month by resolving to take every 
                appropriate means to protect our children from abuse 
                and neglect, to restore their shattered trust, and to 
                help them grow into healthy, happy adults.

[[Page 16668]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                first day of April, in the year of our Lord nineteen 
                hundred and ninety-eight, and of the Independence of 
                the United States of America the two hundred and 
                twenty-second.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 98-9035
Filed 4-2-98; 10:40 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P